Considerable and rapid change across all aspects of society is needed to stop further nature loss in Scotland, a new report reveals.

Many of the direct causes of biodiversity loss are well-known such as pollution, climate change and land use change. Now a new report led by The James Hutton Institute, commissioned by NatureScot, says that tackling these direct causes is not enough.

It points to factors which are indirectly contributing to nature loss in Scotland including our culture, education, demography, economy, political systems and technology.

A week-long summer school in advanced computer simulation methods to help solve challenges from health issues to climate change has attracted specialists from 25 countries around the world to Aberdeen.

The European Social Simulation Association Summer School, organised by and being held at The James Hutton Institute, is being attended by experts, from ecologists to psychologists, learning about how agent-based modelling could solve the problems they’re trying to address.

New research to help develop a unique approach to Scottish agricultural policy has been published.

Twelve reports have been produced that explore some of the options and mechanisms Scottish Government will need to consider whilst developing its upcoming plans for agriculture with a renewed focus on delivering for both industry and for nature.

The collaborative effort included staff from Scotland’s Rural College, The James Hutton Institute, Pareto Consulting and ICF.

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy, is holding a free event this September to help people learn more about how scientific researchers are working towards creating better barley, as part of its flagship event series Curious.

Curious– running from 4-17 September this year - is a completely free and open series of tours, talks and workshops that brings together some of Scotland’s finest minds in various academic fields with the aim of getting under the surface of some of the most important issues of the day.

A team of researchers led by The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen is hunting for volunteers to help them investigate what helps or hinders rural life in Scotland.

Through a series of surveys, they want to look at issues including rural transport and local food supplies, to see how these impact rural life, as well as preferences for moving to or between rural areas, including from cities.

The surveys are being funded by the Scottish Government and may inform future policies and the rural economy.

A team of scientists and support staff from The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen is set to race through Scotland’s Great Glen on Friday (August 25) to help raise cash for Scottish farming charity RSABI.

The team, the Hutton Unconformities, are hoping to help RSABI, which provides emotional, practical and financial support to people in Scottish agriculture, reach its £50,000 fundraising goal for the Great Glen Challenge event.

Researchers at The James Hutton Institute are supporting a £6 million project led by Moredun Research Institute to develop an effective vaccine for on-farm worm control.

The project is an international, multi-institutional partnership with the University of Glasgow and the University of New England, Australia.

A low-tech solution to help farmers make more money from their muck could also help reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance from sewage and manure, according to scientists at The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen and Centre for Environmental Health and Engineering (CEHE) in Surrey.

The future of potato crop production will be showcased at Potatoes in Practice, the UK’s largest field-based potato event on 10 August in Dundee, hosted by the James Hutton Institute, the SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) and Agrii.

The eagerly anticipated event brings together a variety of demonstrations, cutting-edge research, trade exhibits, and a wealth of knowledge from experts in the field.

There’s always something more satisfying about eating a fish supper in view of the sea. But would you be willing to pay more for seafood if it was also within view of the boats that caught it?

The answer is yes, according to researchers at The James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen.

They surveyed residents and visitors to the Scottish inshore fishing towns Mallaig and Oban and found that people were willing to pay more than 3.5 times more for a portion of seafood when within view of an active inshore fisheries harbour.